September Surge is here.
Are you ready?
Aside from surging COVID rates, September also brings with it surging job postings across many (though not all) sectors. In gross capitalist terms, the September Surge signals the end of the third quarter, following typically slower summer months, when productivity increases as folks return from vacations, and companies push toward year-end goals in the fourth quarter. Combined with finalized budgets for the upcoming fiscal year, employers aim to fill critical roles before the holiday season, when it all slows down again.
Given the fragility, saturation, and competitiveness of the current job market, having a defined job search strategy will help you maintain momentum for the September Surge with the goal to receive interview invitations within the subsequent weeks or months.
And wouldn't you know? That's what this post is all about!
Your September Surge Job Search Guide
With the goal of getting interview invitations by October, if not mid-late September, this guide will focus on weekly sprints in three activities:
- Applications: Your # of daily applications you will send per day/week, each within 24-48 hours of job posting. In such a competitive market, the applications received first are more likely to get attention.
- Outreach: Your efforts to be visible, including communications sent to warm and cold contacts, and posts on social media.
- Practice: Interviewing is a skill like any other, and consistent practice will increase your proficiency and confidence. Includes attending networking events.
While themed for September, this guide can be adapted easily for anytime when you're goal is use a weekly sprint method in your job search.
Step One: Get Organized
Before you even start with applications, get everything in place to ensure you're productive and remain sane.
| What to Do | Why You're Doing It | Quick Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Define Target Jobs Titles or Target Job Families | Clarifies where to focus your energy and prevents you from scatter‑shot applications. | Write a list of 5–7 titles (e.g., “Product Marketing Manager,” “Data Engineer”) and note the core skills each requires. |
| Refresh & Tailor Your Resume | Recruiters skim resumes in seconds; a targeted version passes ATS filters and catches human eyes. | Use a primary resume, then create 2–3 role‑specific versions highlighting the most relevant achievements. |
| Create a Company Target List | Gives you a roadmap of where to apply, network, and research. | Identify 15–30 firms (mix of dream, reach, and safe options). Include size, industry, and a note on why you're a great candidate. |
| Choose Job Boards & Set Up Auto‑Alerts | Manual searching is laborious and who has time for that? Use auto-alerts to ensure you’re first on new listings. | Use both comprehensive (LinkedIn, Indeed, etc.) and niche boards (e.g. your professional society). Set alerts for your exact titles + location, and for your target companies. |
| Organize a Tracking System | Keeps you from missing deadlines and helps you measure progress. | Use a spreadsheet* or a dedicated tool like Trello or Smartsheet. Save a local copy of the job description. Don't rely on the link alone. |
| Gather Supporting Materials | Some roles may ask for cover letters, or a portfolio of your work. Keep them on hand locally and in the cloud. | Create cover‑letter paragraph templates to highlight your impact to streamline writing one for applications that ask for one. |
| Schedule Dedicated Job‑Search Time | Consistency beats occasional bursts. | Block 1–2 hours each weekday (e.g., 9 am–11 am) and treat it like a meeting you can’t miss. |
Define Your Capacity | Applying for jobs is a full time job, so define your capacity based on your available time and energy. | Choose times of day when you have the most energy. Build in a rest day, because burnout is real. |
*Suggested columns: Company, Role, Job description, Date Applied, Follow‑up, Contacts, Communications, Outcome.
Step Two: Set Your Communication Parameters
Job applications are communications, so apply a communications framework to your application documents ensures your being effective with them. The AIM framework--audience, intent, message--is useful for drafting and delivering any form of communication. Here's how to adapt it for a job application:
Audience: Who is hiring me?
Aside from simply being the hiring manager, the person who wrote the job description did so because they have an unmet need and/or a problem that needs to be solved.
- Identify Decision‑Makers: Recruiters, hiring managers, team leads, or department heads.
- Map Their Pain Points: Look at recent job posts, company news, and LinkedIn updates to infer what challenges they face (e.g., “scaling data pipelines,” “launching a new product line”).
Intent: What impact will I deliver?
Obviously, you want them to invite you to an interview, but deeper than that, you want them to envision you on their team, working toward meeting business needs and solving problems. What impact can you have?
- Translate Your Experience into Solutions: If you reduced costs by 15 % at your last job, frame it as “can help lower production costs for your biologics product pipeline.”
- Align With Their Timeline: Mention how quickly you can contribute (e.g., “ready to hit the ground running within two weeks”); or how quickly you can get them to their goals (e.g. "I can increase your antibody yields by 50% by the end of Q4").
Message: What have I accomplished that proves it?
If you can meet their needs or solve their problem, what metrics prove it? Tell them about your prior outcomes. Their call to action is to speak to you about how you can do the same for them.
- Quantify Achievements: “Led a cross‑functional team of 8 to deliver a $2million project three weeks ahead of schedule.”
- Show Relevant Metrics: Use KPIs that matter to the role—conversion rate, client retention, cost savings, time‑to‑market, etc.
- Craft a One‑Sentence Value Proposition: “I translate molecular insights into therapeutic candidates that boost pre‑clinical efficacy while shortening discovery timelines.”
AIM in practice:
For a cover letter: “Your upcoming launch of the next‑generation oncology platform calls for a scientist who can deliver robust biomarker‑driven assays that increase hit‑validation rates by 30 %, a milestone I achieved while leading assay development at Buzzword Biotech.”
For LinkedIn: “I partner with biotech and pharma teams to accelerate drug pipelines through data‑rich translational research, most recently elevating lead‑optimization throughput by 25 % for a late‑stage immunotherapy program.”
Step Three: Plan for Weekly Application Sprints
| Week | Application Goals | Outreach** Goals | Practice Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Build momentum, submit at least 1 tailored application per day (4-5 total). | E-mail 10 warm contacts: former classmates or colleagues, alumni --- Post twice on social, sharing an article, seminar, or other relevant resource, with your commentary. | Craft STAR/SOAR-based stories for technical & behavioral questions --- Craft a 30-sec "elevator pitch that highlights your skills and impact --- Practice them solo. |
| Week 2 | 2 per day (10 total) | Begin cold outreach to target companies with 10 personalized messages. --- Post three times on social media, highlighting accomplishments or milestones (e.g. new certifications) | Conduct one 20-min mock behavioral interview with a friend or coach. --- Practice your elevator pitch by attending one community-based networking event |
| Week 3 | 3 per day (15 total); Review response rates; adjust resume bullets if needed. | Expand to hiring managers/recruiters for roles you applied to, or will apply to; 10 messages that reference a recent achievement. --- Make two thought leadership posts on social media; tagging target companies/recruiters with calls to action. | Conduct two mock interviews with a friend or coach, one technical and one behavioral (or 1 with a mix of both) --- Attend one sector-based networking event (biotech, data, healthcare, etc.) |
| Week 4 | Push final: aim for 3 high‑impact applications per day on any remaining dream roles (15 total) | Follow‑up on all previous outreach (48‑hour rule); send thank‑you notes after any replies. --- Post 2-3 times on social media in styles that tracked well in previous weeks. | Refine your stories and elevator pitch based on feedback from prior weeks. Keep practicing them solo or with a partner. --- Attend a seminar or workshop either in person or on Zoom.*** |
**For warm contacts, focus on reconnecting, creating mutual benefit, and sharing knowledge about new opportunities or projects. For cold contacts, focus on informational interviews and networking referrals. For hiring managers and recruiters, focus on your AIM to highlight your impact and how you can meet their needs.
*** Also consider community Slack or Discord servers in which you can participate and network virtually.
Final thoughts
Whether during the September Surge, or any month you choose to charge your job search activities, do so with thoughtful organization, strategic communications, and breaking each week into manageable sprints based on your capacity and timeline. The goal is to convert the seasonal influx into tangible interviews and offers. Remember, consistency beats perfection; the goal is steady forward motion, not flawless execution every single day.
